On 15 July 1916, in Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporated…
BoWes Aviation Company
Northwest Airplane Corporation
Pacific Aero Products Company
Two
The Rosetta Stone was discovered on 15 July 1799. Where was it found?
Egypt
Greece
Rome
Three
On 15 July 1888, Mount Bandai, a stratovolcano, erupted, resulting in an estimated 500 fatalities. Mount Bandai is located in which country?
Indonesia
Japan
Philippines
Four
On this day in 1964, a NASA space probe took the first close-up pictures of another planet and began transmitting them back to Earth the following day. What planet was photographed?
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Five
The Spanish Inquisition was officially disbanded on 15 July 1834. How many years had it been in operation?
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
Aerial view of the Boudewijnkanaal linking the city of Bruges (middle of image) with the port of Zeebrugge (top). Image Wikipedia
One
The caption (copied below) for the above photo is missing the name of a port. What port?
Aerial view of the Boudewijnkanaal linking the city of Bruges (middle of image) with the port of … (top).
Answer: Zeebrugge
The Port of Zeebrugge, a major North Sea port in Bruges, Belgium, handles over 50 million tonnes of cargo annually. In 1987, the ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized outside the port, killing 193 passengers.
Detail of Zephyrus with Aura from Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. Image Wikipedia
Two
What six letter word can mean all of the following?
a soft, gentle breeze
a personification of the west wind
a fine cotton gingham
a very light article of clothing
Answer: Zephyr
late Old English zefferus, denoting a personification of the west wind, via Latin from Greek zephuros ‘(god of the) west wind’. The sense ‘soft, gentle breeze’ dates from the late 17th century. – Oxford English Dictionary
The above picture is of the … of Ur. What word is missing?
Answer: Ziggurat
The Ziggurat in Ur, dedicated to Nanna/Sîn, was built by King Ur-Nammu and completed by King Shulgi in the 21st century BC. It served as the centre of a temple complex and a shrine to the moon god.
(in ancient Mesopotamia) a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple. Ziggurats are first attested in the late 3rd millennium BC and probably inspired the biblical story of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9).
What river flows over these falls, and on which international border are they situated?
Answer: Zambezi. (Border of) Zimbabwe and Zambia
Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River, is one of the world’s largest waterfalls. It was named after Queen Victoria by David Livingstone in 1855. The Lozi name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning ‘The Smoke That Thunders’, is also commonly used.
Now … played guitar Jamming good with Weird and Gilly And The Spiders from Mars
The first three lines of a song originally released in 1972 are shown above. What word is missing from the first line?
Answer: Ziggy
Ziggy Stardust is a glam rock song about a bisexual alien rock star. The character, created by David Bowie, symbolised an over-the-top rock star and commented on celebrity worship. The lyrics for Ziggy Stardust are shown below.
Ziggy Sturdust
David Bowie
Now Ziggy played guitar Jamming good with Weird and Gilly And The Spiders from Mars He played it left hand But made it too far Became the special man Then we were Ziggy’s Band
Ziggy really sang Screwed-up eyes and screwed-down hairdo Like some cat from Japan He could lick ’em by smiling He could leave ’em to hang He came on so loaded, man, Well-hung, snow-white tan
So where were the spiders While the fly tried to break our balls? Just the beer light to guide us So we bitched about his fans And should we crush his sweet hands? Oh yeah
Ziggy played for time Jiving us that we were Voodoo The kids was just crass He was the naz With God-given ass He took it all too far But boy, could he play guitar
Making love with his ego Ziggy sucked up into his mind (ah) Like a leper messiah When the kids had killed a man I had to break up the band
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
Tibetan Yak or Sarlyk, as they say in Altai. Image Wikipedia
One
Remembering the theme, the animal pictured is a…
Answer: Yak
The yak, a long-haired domesticated cattle species, inhabits the Himalayan region, Tibetan Plateau, and parts of Central Asia. It is descended from the wild yak.
Located on the island of Honshu, what is Japan’s second-largest city in terms of population?
Answer: Yokohama
Yokohama, the second-largest city in Japan, is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture and a major economic, cultural, and commercial hub. It is home to many of Japan’s firsts, including the first foreign trading port and Chinatown, and is a prominent port city.
The lyrics of this 1972 song by Carly Simon describe a self-absorbed lover, whose identity has long been a matter of speculation. What is the song?
Answer: You’re So Vain
In 2015, the Los Angeles Times published some more information about Carly Simon’s 1972 hit You’re So Vain—
Carly Simon has confirmed the answer — at least in part — to one of the most puzzling questions in recent history: Who is the song “You’re So Vain” really about?
“I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren,” the 70-year-old told People magazine. That’d be Warren Beatty, long suspected of being the vain one. The other verses (“You walked into the party … “ and “I hear you went up to Saratoga …”) are about other men, she said. – Los Angeles Times
Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell begins,
‘Some years ago there was in the city of … a society of magicians. They met upon the third Wednesday of every month and read each other long, dull papers upon the history of English magic.’
What city is missing from this quote?
Answer: York
In 1806, during the Napoleonic Wars, the reclusive magician Mr Norrell emerges, captivating England with his displays of magic. However, his cautious nature is challenged by the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange, leading to a dangerous battle between the two magicians.
What colour links these? – Cross on the flag of Sweden – A ball with a value of two points snooker
Answer: Yellow
The Swedish flag features a yellow Nordic cross on a light blue field, inspired by the 1442 coat of arms. Blue and yellow have been used in Swedish heraldry since 1275. The yellow ball has a value of two points in the game of snooker.
A snooker table, drawn exactly to scale. Image Wikipedia
Continuing the alphabet theme with all of today’s answers beginning with the letter ‘Y’.
This is known as a Sarlyk in Altai, see question one. Image Wikipedia
One
Remembering the theme, the animal pictured is a…
Two
Located on the island of Honshu, what is Japan’s second-largest city in terms of population?
Three
The lyrics of this 1972 song by Carly Simon describe a self-absorbed lover, whose identity has long been a matter of speculation. What is the song?
Four
Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell begins,
‘Some years ago there was in the city of … a society of magicians. They met upon the third Wednesday of every month and read each other long, dull papers upon the history of English magic.’
What city is missing from this quote?
Five
What colour links these? – The cross on the flag of Sweden – A ball with a value of two points snooker
In what television programme did the above characters first appear?
Answer: Wacky Races
Dick Dastardly is a fictional character and the main antagonist in various animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. The first appearance was in 1969. He is known for his catchphrases ’Muttley, do something!‘; ‘Curses, foiled again!’; ‘Drat, and double drat!’; or even ‘Triple dat!’.
41°17′20″S is the latitude of the World’s windiest city. What is the city?
Answer: Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, the world’s windiest city, by average wind speed—it is also the world’s southernmost capital. It is a cultural hub with a diverse, youth-driven culture, known for its film industry, financial services and livability. The city’s economy is service-based, with a focus on finance, business, government and technology.
The quote above is a line in the chorus of what song?
Answer: Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is Kate Bush’s debut single, released in 1978. It spent four weeks at number one in the UK and was the first number-one single by a female artist to be entirely self-written. Kate Bush wrote in a few hours after seeing the 1967 BBC adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, which she had not read. Subsequently reading the novel she discovered she shared her birthday with Emily Brontë. Lyrics are shown at the end of the post.
The chemical element Tungsten has the symbol ‘W’. What word does this symbol represent?
Answer: Wolfram
Tungsten, or wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. It is known for its high melting and boiling points, density, and hardness, making it useful in various applications such as light bulb filaments, X-ray tubes and tungsten carbide. Tungsten is also found in some biomolecules, though it can be toxic to most animal life.
Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Watercolour by Alfred Jacob Miller, c 1858-1860. Image Wikipedia
Five
This US State has a northern border with Montana and a southern border with Colorado. What state is it?
Answer: Wyoming
Wyoming is a landlocked state in the Mountain West, bordered by several states including Montana to the north and Colorado to the south. It is the least populous state despite being the 10th largest, with a semi-arid to continental climate and a significant portion of its land owned by the federal government.
Wuthering Heights
Kate Bush
Out on the wily, windy moors We’d roll and fall in green You had a temper like my jealousy Too hot, too greedy How could you leave me When I needed to possess you? I hated you. I loved you, too
Bad dreams in the night They told me I was going to lose the fight Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Ooh, it gets dark! It gets lonely On the other side from you I pine a lot. I find the lot Falls through without you I’m coming back, love Cruel Heathcliff, my one dream My only master
Too long I roam in the night I’m coming back to his side, to put it right I’m coming home to wuthering, wuthering Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Ooh! Let me have it Let me grab your soul away Ooh! Let me have it Let me grab your soul away You know, it’s me – Cathy
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
The remains of Francis Gary Powers’ U-2 (s/n 56-6693, msn 360) are now on display in the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia. Image Wikipedia
One
On 1 May 1960, an aircraft flown by American pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Soviet territory. By what short name is the aircraft commonly known?
Answer: U-2
On 1 May 1960, a US Lockheed U-2 spy plane, flown by American pilot Francis Gary Powers, was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance inside Soviet territory. The aircraft had taken off from Peshawar, Pakistan, and crashed near Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) after being hit by a surface-to-air missile. Powers parachuted to the ground and was subsequently captured.
U Thant Island, in East River, New York City, in front of the UN Building. Image Wikipedia
Two
Belmont Island, located in front of the United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City, was, in 1982, officially renamed in with a UN connection. What name was it given?
Answer: U Thant Island
U Thant Island, formerly Belmont Island, is a small artificial island in New York City’s East River. It’s the smallest island in Manhattan and is home to a colony of double-crested cormorants. Belmont Island was renamed U Thant Island on October 7, 1982, in honour of the late U Thant, a former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
An alias the main protagonist is told to use in The Fellowship of the Ring
The first human settlement on Mars in Kim Stanley Robinson‘s novel Red Mars
A fictional character in Ursula K. Le Guin‘s short story The Rule of Names
Answer: Underhill
Underhill answered all three points in the question.
In JRR Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring Frodo Baggins was told by Gandalf to use the alias Mr Underhill from when he left Hobbiton and until they met up at The Prancing Pony in Bree.
Red Mars follows the first hundred colonists on their journey to Mars, their first settlemet, Underhill; their efforts to terraform the planet, and their struggle for independence from Earth’s control. Led by differing ideologies, the colonists debate terraforming and Mars’ relationship with Earth, ultimately leading to a revolution against Earth’s influence.
The Rule of Names is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, introducing the Earthsea realm and its magic system. It features the dragon Yevaud and explains the significance of true names in Earthsea. A resident wizard is nicknamed Underhill because he lives in a cave below a hill.
Gandantegchinlen Monastery, Bayangol, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Image Wikipedia
Four
With an average annual temperature of 0.2 °C (32.4 °F), and coldest January temperatures dropping to between −36 and −40 °C (−32.8 and −40.0 °F), which capital city holds the distinction of being the coldest in the world?
Answer: Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is the coldest capital city in the world with an average annual temperature of 0.2 °C or 32.4 °F. It was founded in 1639 as a Buddhist monastic centre and became the country’s capital in 1924, now serving as its cultural, industrial and financial hub.
The Vasari Corridor’s bridge from the Palazzo Vecchio to Uffizi. Image Wikipedia
Five
Florence’s Vasari Corridor is a long, raised passageway that connects Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Pitti. What gallery is found along its route?
Answer: Uffizi
The Vasari Corridor in Florence connects the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, passing through the Uffizi Gallery. Stretching approximately one kilometre, it crosses the Arno River at Ponte Vecchio and winds through the Oltrarno district.
On 1 May 1960, an aircraft flown by American pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Soviet territory. By what short name is the aircraft commonly known?
Two
Belmont Island, located in front of the United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City, was, in 1982, officially renamed in with a UN connection. What name was it given?
Three
What one word answers all of these?
An alias the main protagonist is told to use in The Fellowship of the Ring
The first human settlement on Mars in Kim Stanley Robinson‘s novel Red Mars
A fictional character in Ursula K. Le Guin‘s short story The Rule of Names
Four
With an average annual temperature of 0.2 °C (32.4 °F), and coldest January temperatures dropping to between −36 and −40 °C (−32.8 and −40.0 °F), which capital city holds the distinction of being the coldest in the world?
Five
Florence’s Vasari Corridor is a long, raised passageway that connects Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Pitti. What gallery is found along its route?
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
The Tagus River and the Roman bridge at Alcántara, in Extremadura, Spain, built between 104 and 106 CE by an order of the Roman emperor Trajan. Image Wikipedia
One
The 1,900-year-old Alcantara Bridge spans a river that rises in Spain’s Albarracín Mountains before travelling 626 miles (1,007 km) to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Can you name the river?
Answer: Tagus
The Tagus, the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula, flows from its source in Spain to the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon in Portugal. The Alcántara Bridge, built between 104 and 106 CE, is a Roman stone arch bridge. It was commissioned by Emperor Trajan.
Fred Perry, on the right, with Pat Hughes in 1934. Image Wikipedia
Two
In what sport did Fred Perry become the 1929 World Champion?
Answer: Table tennis
Frederick John Perry was a British tennis and table tennis player. His first love was table tennis, and he was World Champion in 1929. In tennis, he won ten Majors, including eight Grand Slam singles titles. He was the first player to win a ‘Career Grand Slam’ and the last British player to win a men’s singles Grand Slam title until Andy Murray in 2012.
Cover of the score for The Mikado, 1895. Image Wikipedia
Three
Pitti-Sing, Peep-Bo and Yum-Yum are characters in which Gilbert and Sullivan operetta?
Answer: The Mikado
The Mikado is a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, satirising late 19th-century British institutions and politics through a fantasy Japanese setting. It premiered in London in 1885 and quickly became a global hit, with over 150 productions by the end of the year.
Porto Bello Gold (1924) by Arthur D. Howden Smith is a prequel to which 1883 Robert Louis Stevenson novel?
Answer: Treasure Island
Arthur D. Howden Smith was a great admirer of Robert Louis Stevenson. In Porto Bello Gold (1924), a prequel to Treasure Island – written with the permission of Robert Louis Stevenson’s executor, Lloyd Osbourne – Harry Ormerod’s son Robert goes to sea in the company of such famous pirates as Captain Flint, Long John Silver and Billy Bones and takes part in capturing the treasure which would be recovered in Stevenson’s book. – Wikipedia, Arthur D. Howden Smith
Jordan assumed its present name in 1949, what was it called immediately prior to that?
Answer: Transjordan
Transjordan, also known as the East Bank or the Transjordanian Highlands, is the region east of the Jordan River in the Southern Levant. Primarily located in present-day Jordan, it is a semi-arid region. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with a population of 11.5 million, mostly Sunni Muslim. Since 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from neighbouring countries, including 2.1 million Palestinians and 1.4 million Syrians as of 2015. Despite a skilled workforce and tourism industry, economic growth is hindered by a lack of natural resources, refugee influx, and regional instability.
Quizology.Online 
